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Key players in events stemming from last weekend's armed rebellion in Russia include mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and Gen. Sergei Surovikin The key players in last weekend's armed rebellion by Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin: YEVGENY PRIGOZHIN Prigozhin, 62, owed his position and his fortune to links with President Vladimir Putin. The former convict who became a St. Petersburg restaurateur was dubbed “Putin's chef” for lucrative Kremlin catering contracts. He expanded into other areas and founded the Wagner Group — a private military contractor that was active in Syria and several African countries. The Kremlin relied on Wagner to help shore up its forces in Ukraine after the regular military suffered humiliating setbacks there. Wagner spearheaded attacks on the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut and captured it after a long and bloody battle, during which Prigozhin complained o...

Russia’s president has succeeded in exiling Wagner mercenary head Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led a brief mutiny last week, but the fate of several top generals is still unclear Russia’s president has succeeded in exiling Wagner mercenary head Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led a brief mutiny last week, but the fate of several top generals is still unclear. There were unconfirmed reports that one of them with ties to Prigozhin has been arrested and another was mysteriously absent from several events attended by President Vladimir Putin and embattled Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. The opaque world of the Kremlin’s politics has led to intense speculation that some top military officers may have colluded with Prigozhin and may now face punishment for the mutiny that briefly sent a virtually unchallenged march toward Moscow that Putin has labeled treason and a “stab in the back.” The speculation focused on Gen. Sergei Surovikin, who has longtime links to Prigozhin and hasn’t been seen since the start ...

Norway has approved 19 oil and gas projects on the Norwegian continental shelf, saying the total investments are worth over $19 billion COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- Norway announced Wednesday it approved 19 oil and gas projects on the Norwegian continental shelf, saying the total investments are worth over 200 billion kroner ($19 billion). "The projects are also an important contribution to Europe’s energy security,” said Terje Aasland, Norway’s minister for Pet roleum and energy. Norway was the only net exporter of oil and gas in Europe, he said, adding, “By carrying out these projects we ensure new production from the latter half of the 2020s, so that we can maintain high Norwegian deliveries.” The projects consist of new developments, further development of existing fields, and investments in projects for increased extraction at existing fields. Norway, one of the world’s wealthiest countries due to its vast oil and gas reserves, said earlier this month that it wants to open parts ...

Some convicts recruited by Russia's private military contractor Wagner to fight in the war in Ukraine are coming home and committing new crimes TALLINN, Estonia -- When Ivan Rossomakhin returned home from the war in Ukraine three months ago, his neighbors in the village east of Moscow were terrified. Three years ago, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to a long prison term but was freed after volunteering to fight with the Wagner private military contractor. Back in Novy Burets, Rossomakhin drunkenly wandered the streets of the hamlet 800 kilometers (about 500 miles) east of Moscow, carrying a pitchfork and threatening to kill everyone, residents said. Despite police promises to keep an eye on the 28-year-old former inmate, he was arrested in a nearby town on charges of stabbing to death an elderly woman from whom he once rented a room. He reportedly confessed to committing the crime, less than 10 days after his return. Rossomakhin’s case is not isolated. The Associated Press...

Australia’s highest court has dismissed Russia’s application for an injunction that would have prevented Moscow's embassy being evicted from a site in the national capital Canberra CANBERRA, Australia -- Australia’s highest court on Monday dismissed Russia’s application for an injunction that would have prevented Moscow's embassy being evicted from a site in the national capital Canberra. In dismissing the application, High Court Justice Jayne Jagot described Russia’s challenge on constitutional grounds to a law terminating the lease as “weak” and “difficult to understand.” Parliament passed emergency legislation on June 15 that terminated Russia’s lease on the largely empty block on security grounds because the new embassy would have been too close to Parliament House. Russia’s lawyer Elliot Hyde had argued that the Ambassador Alexey Pavlovsky would not have confidence in the integrity and security of a consular building already on the site if the embassy was not allowed ...

Beijing and parts of northern China are experiencing record temperatures, with authorities urging people to limit their time outdoors TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Beijing and parts of northern China are experiencing record temperatures, with authorities urging people to limit their time outdoors. The Nanjiao observatory in southern Beijing on Saturday for the first time recorded temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for a third consecutive day, according to the China Meteorological Administration. In nearby Hebei province and the port city of Tianjin, temperature s have also soared above 40 C over the past few days, prompting authorities to issue “red” alerts for extreme weather. In China’s four-tier weather alert system, the red indicates the most severe conditions. On Thursday, Beijing experienced its second-hottest day on record – with temperatures soaring to 41.1 C (106 F). It was also the highest temperature ever recorded in China’s capital during the month of June....

The owner of the Wagner private military contractor has escalated his direct challenge to the Kremlin, calling for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russia’s defense minister KYIV, Ukraine -- The owner of the Wagner private military contractor escalated his direct challenge to the Kremlin on Friday, calling for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russia’s defense minister. The security services reacted immediately by opening a criminal investigation into Yevgeny Prigozhin. Prigozhin posted a series of angry video and audio recordings in which he accused Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of ordering a rocket strike Friday on Wagner's field camps in Ukraine, where his troops are fighting on behalf of Russia. Prigozhin said his troops would now punish Shoigu in an armed rebellion and urged the army not to offer resistance. “This is not a Military coup, but a march of justice,” Prigozhin declared. The National Anti-Terrorism Committee, which is part of the Federal Security Services, sa...

A new report accuses Sri Lanka's former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa of tampering with police records in order to hamper investigations into mass graves discovered in an area where he was a military officer at the height of a bloody Marxist insurrectio... COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- Sri Lanka's former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was accused in a report released Thursday of tampering with police records in order to hamper investigations into mass graves discovered in an area where he was a Military officer at the height of a bloody Marxist insurrection in 1989. The report by activist groups including the International Truth and Justice Project, Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka and Families of the Disappeared said even though hundreds of remains were unearthed in some 20 exhumations of mass graves in the past three decades, no action has been taken to identify the victims and return their remains to their families. Tens of thousands of remains could still be buried in und...

Five people are aboard a missing submersible near the wreck of the Titanic. Here's what we know about the crew of the OceanGate sub. Hamish Harding, one of the five people aboard a submersible missing near the Titanic wreck, is no stranger to exploration. Harding circumnavigated the Earth in 2019. He made a dive in 2021 to the deepest point on earth, Challenger Deep, in the Mariana Trench. And he traveled into space last year aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard. The U.S. Coast Guard on Sunday launched an urgent search for the OceanGate Inc. tourist submersible carrying Harding and four other passengers . This image courtesy of Dirty Dozen Productions shows the 4 a.m. start of the RMS Titanic Expedition Mission 5 on the morning of June 18, 2023. Dirty Dozen Productions/AFP via Getty Images MORE: Missing Titanic tourist submersible live updates "Our entire focus is on the wellbeing of the crew and every step possible is being taken to bring the five crew members back safely,...

Chinese Premier Li Qiang has started a visit to Germany and France that is his first trip abroad since taking office BERLIN -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang has started a visit to Germany and France that comes as Europe seeks to balance concerns over economic dependence on China and about its stance toward Ukraine and Taiwan with a desire to engage Beijing on issues such as climate change. Li, on his first trip abroad since taking office, was received by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Monday. Li and a large delegation of Chinese ministers meet with Chancellor Olaf Scholz and their German counterparts on Tuesday, the seventh such gathering. Top officials from both sides also will meet Business representatives. Li, a former Communist Party secretary for Shanghai, took office in March as China's No. 2 official. It was part of a once-a-decade change of government that installed loyalists of Chinese leader Xi Jinping to enforce his vision of tighter political control over the ...

British officials say Russia and Ukraine are suffering high numbers of military casualties as Ukraine fights to dislodge the Kremlin’s forces from occupied areas in the early stages of its counteroffensive KYIV, Ukraine -- Russia and Ukraine are suffering high numbers of military casualties as Ukraine fights to dislodge the Kremlin’s forces from occupied areas in the early stages of its counteroffensive, British officials said Sunday. Russian losses are probably at their highest level since the peak of the battle for Bakhmut in March, U.K. Military officials said in their regular assessment . According to British intelligence, the most intense fighting has centered on the southeastern Zaporizhzhia province, around Bakhmut and further west in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk province. While the update reported that Ukraine was on the offensive in these areas and had “made small advances,” it said that Russian forces were conducting “relatively effective defensive operations” in Ukraine’s sout...

At least 34 people have died in the past two days as a large swath of the north Indian state Uttar Pradesh swelters under severe heat, prompting doctors to advise residents over 60 years old to stay indoors during the daytime LUCKNOW, India -- At least 34 people have died in the past two days as a large swath of the north Indian state Uttar Pradesh swelters under severe heat, officials said Saturday, prompting doctors to advise residents over 60 to stay indoors during the daytime. The dead were all over 60 years old and had preexisting health conditions that may have been exacerbated by the intense heat. The fatalities occurred in Ballia district, some 300 kilometers (200 miles) southeast of Lucknow, the state capital of Uttar Pradesh. Twenty-three deaths were reported Thursday and another 11 died Friday, Ballia’s Chief Medical Officer Jayant Kumar said. “All the individuals were suffering from some ailments and their conditions worsened due to the extreme heat,” Kumar told The Associ...

Russia accused Australia of “Russophobic hysteria” for canceling the lease on the land where Moscow wanted to build its new embassy CANBERRA, Australia -- Russia accused Australia of “Russophobic hysteria ” for canceling the lease on the land where Moscow wanted to build its new embassy , which the Australian government judged to be a security risk because it was too close to Parliament House. Parliament passed emergency legislation blocking the lease Thursday after Russia won a Federal Court appeal last month against local Canberra authorities’ decision to do the same. The Russian Embassy responded on Friday by posting on social media a Russian news agency TASS report of Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov’s condemnation of Australia’s actions. “Australia, having canceled the lease agreement for the site for the construction of the new Russian Embassy building, diligently continues to move forward in the main stream of the authors of the Russophobic hysteria and tries to distinguish ...